To Think
To think that we live in a world,
Where a man may die for the shade of his skin,
That there are those among us who see only colour,
And are blind to the heart and the soul within.
How can it be, that our lives may be ruled by the simple fact of the race of our kin?
To think that there are those who care not,
For the faith and beliefs that their neighbours hold dear,
And others who would kill in the name of their god,
Or in the search for the answer, make truth disappear.
How can it be, that our choices in faith so rarely breed love and instead produce fear?
To think that we are judged by the way that we look,
The beauty of our faces and the strength in our bones,
That we must ever endeavour to appear better than best,
And keep what really matters hidden, unknown.
How can it be, that our true selves are ignored and our worth may be valued by appearance alone?
To think that still it matters to some,
If as a man or a woman a person is born,
That a random chance as we formed in the womb,
Could earn us one's respect, or another's scorn.
How can it be, when we all play our part, that it matters if one is a rose or a thorn?
To think that some can think of only themselves,
And believe all that matters is their personal gains,
That all they see in another is what they have done,
And judge all whom they meet by their wealth, or their brains.
How can it be, when we are all unique, that our differences may yet provoke such pains?
To think that our future can be ruled by our birth,
To whom we are born, and their status among others,
That a matter of fate, that we cannot control,
Can be the device by which one thrives, or suffers.
How can it be, when we all have a heart in our chest, that we may not all live as sisters and brothers?
When I think that our value, and our worldly worth,
Is so often judged but by accident of birth,
That no matter where we are born, in the whole of the earth,
Our life is decided,
By our religion,
Our race,
Our gender,
Our face,
Our strength,
Or our brains,
Our status
And our gains,
How can it be?
I give thanks that I was born simply a human.